Cushioned shoulder covering



June 6, 1961 'F. 'M. ZUBIATE 3 CUSHIONED SHOULDER COVERING Filed Oct. 13, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 f W332i ATTORNEYJ June 6, 1961 F. M. ZUBIATE CUSHIONED SHOULDER COVERING 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Tl.E.

Filed 001;. 13, 1958 INVENTOR. /CL/P M Z 05/475 ATTUR/VEYJ United States Patent-1O 2,986,738 'CUSI-IIONED SHOULDER COVERING Felipe M. Zubiate, 1428 Stannage Ave., Berkeley, :Calif. Filed ct. 13, 1958, Ser. No. 766,789 1 Claim. (Cl. 2-2) This invention relates to protective shoulder coverings and more particularly to such a covering which is especially adapted to be worn by an individual in order to prevent discomfort or injury to the shoulders and upper torso portions of the body when carrying or shooting a gun.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a cushioned shoulder covering of the character described which may be worn next to the skin without discomfort, while at the same time providing effective shoulder protection while carrying or using a gun.

Another object of the present invention is to provide :a cushioned shoulder covering of thetype described which will in no Way restrict or hamper body movements and which will nevertheless remain properly positioned over the shoulders and upper torso regardless ofsuch movements.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a uniform resilient protection throughout .the area of .the shoulders, shoulder blades and upper chest, and which will serve as a supporting cushion for a gun'so as to prevent unnecessary relative movement of the gun during the carrying or use thereof.

Still another object of the present invention is to providea cushioned shoulder protector which gives adequate protection to the shoulders and upperltorso without being unduly bulky, so that the user may conveniently wear any desired outer clothing over such protector.

Another object of'the present invention is to provide ran article of the character described which may be compactly foldedLinto alsmall area so as itofacil'itate easy storing or packing thereof.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a 'cushionedshoulder covering of the character "which readily lends'itself into operative combination with a brassiere so as to aiford'a ready and comfortable shoulder protection for women.

"The invention possesses other objects and "features of advantage, some of which, with the foregoing, willbe set forth'in the "following description of 'the preferred form of the invention which is illustrated in the drawings accompanying and forming part of the specification. It is to be understood, however, that variations in the showing made by the said drawings and description may be adopted within the scope of the invention as set forth in the claim.

Referring to said drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a front perspective view of one form of the cushioned shoulder covering of the present invention shown operatively positioned on a man.

FIGURE 2 is a rear perspective view of the apparatus illustrated in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a vertical sectional view through one of the shoulder cushions of FIGURE 1 and illustrating several ways in which a gun is commonly positioned in relation to the shoulder.

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of the shoulder covering in a folded inoperative condition suitable for storing.

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view similar to FIGURE 1 showing a modification of the cushioned shoulder covering.

A 2,986,738 Patented June 6,

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view similar to FIGURE 1 showing a further modified form of the present invention.

FIGURE 7 is a rear perspective view of the modification illustrated in FIGURE 6.

Considering now the present invention in some detail and referring first to FIGURES 1-4 of thedrawings, the cushioned shoulder covering, generally indicated by the numeral 11, comprises a pair o'fsubstantially rectangular protective pads 12 each having a medial or central portion 13 arranged to overlie a persons shoulders and end portions 14 and 16 adapted to extend downwardly from the shoulder to provide a frontportion to cover the upper chest and a rear portion to cover the shoulder blades. An underarm strap 17 is stitched or otherwise secured at outer corners l8 and 19-o'f the front :and rear portions 14 and 16 of each pad whereby an area defined by 'an outer longitudinal edge 21 of the pad and the'underarm strap substantially forms an armhole through which an individuals arm extends when the covering is worn. The two pads are operatively connected to one another .by means of a back strap 22, the terminal ends of whichare secured to confronting inner corners 23 of the rear portions 16. 'The shoulder-covering is releasably secured around the upper torso by means of a pair of straps 24, one end of each being stitched to an inner corner 26 of the pad front portions 14 while the free end of each strap is provided with adjustable fastening-means such as snap fasteners or the like. Theunderarm and back straps 17 and 22 are preferably constructed of ancelastic webbing or the like so as to maintain the covering securely positioned on the body without hampering normal movement thereof.

Since it is contemplated that the covering :11 will be worn next to the skin, it is-an important feature of the present invention that the undersurfaces 27 of thecovering are smooth and soft, having 'no folds, stitching, "or other protuberances which could cause abrasion to the skin by rubbing thereagainst. To this end thepads 12 'the stitching alon -the sides 31, '32 :and '33 :of :the

casing is disposed in spaced relation efrom (:the :body so that friction between the shoulder covering and the skin is substantially eliminated. It will likewise be noted that the straps are secured to outer surfaces 34 of the pads remote from the skin in order to provide a generally smooth encirclement of the body, and that the pads terminate below the area in which the arms join the body so that the underarm straps 17 may pass around the sides of the torso well below the arm pits in order to prevent underarm binding.

The cushioning material 28 of the pads is of a sufficient thickness to provide a resiliently padded area between the shoulders and the gun being supported thereon. In practice, it has been found that foam rubber having a thickness of substantially one-half inch affords the requisite protection without being uncomfortably bulky when worn under regular clothing.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that the shoulders and upper torso portions of a persons body that normally come in contact with a gun when it is being carried or shot are afiorded complete protective coverage, such protection being especially illustrated in FIGURE 3 of the drawings wherein a gun 36 is shown in a full line representation in a shooting position wherein the recoil resulting from shooting the gun often causes painful shoulder injury or discomfort. The resilient nature of the cushioned covering of the present invention, however, dissipates the force of the backward thrust of the gun during shooting thereof so that the shoulder itself is not exposed to such forces. Both the covering and cushions, as well as the straps, etc. are all made of washable material so that the entire device can be placed in a washing machine after use and thus kept in a clean and sanitary condition.

The gun 36 represented in dotted line in FIGURE 3 illustrates a position in which a gun is often carried by an individual when walking or marching. It will be appreciated that in this position a gun rests against the more or less exposed bony structure of the shoulder so that carrying a gun in this position for even a short period of time can be extremely uncomfortable. The cushioned covering of the present invention provides an effective padding for the bony structure of the shoulder by taking up the jolting motion from the gun.

In dot and dashed lines the gun is further shown in FIGURE 3 in a further alternative position for marching or the like wherein the gun is slung over the shoulder blade by means of a strap 37 secured to the gun and passing around the shoulder. In this position the cushioned shoulder covering will not only protect the shoulder blade from discomfort or injury due to the gun resting thereon but will also provide protection from abrasion ordinarily caused by the strap rubbing against the upper chest area. It should be noted that in the three positions illustrated in FIGURE 3 of the drawings the weight of the gun resting against the pad provides an indentation therein which tends to maintain a gun or strap in a stationary position, thereby preventing it from sliding off the shoulder or otherwise moving about to cause abrasion to the skin.

As will be seen in FIGURE 4 of the drawings the shoulder covering is of a flexible nature so that when it is not being worn it folds easily into a compact form wherein the straps may be neatly folded in between confronting surfaces of the pads so that the covering will require a minimum amount of space for storing or transporting.

FIGURE 5 illustrates a modification of the cushioned shoulder covering wherein a single pad 12 is utilized which may be selectively positioned over either shoulder as desired. Securing means for the single pad comprises a short strap stitched to the inner front corner 26 of the pad and a longer strap 42 stitched to the inner corner of the rear portion 16 of the pad, such strap extending around the upper torso to be releasably and adjustably secured to the strap 41.

aeeenss A further modification of the present invention is shown in FIGURES 6 and 7 in which the cushioned shoulder covering is adapted for use with a brassiere in order to provide an effective and convenient means of shoulder protection for women. In this form it will be seen that the front and rear end portions 14 and 16 of the pads are respectively secured to front and rear portions 44 and 46 of a brassiere, thereby substituting for the usual shoulder straps of the brassiere as well as eliminating straps 17, 22 and 24 of the main embodiment.

While the cushioned shoulder covering has been designed primarily to be worn next to the skin so that any desired type of outer clothing may be worn over it, it will, nevertheless, be apparent that such covering could with equal facility be worn over a jacket or the like if desired.

What is claimed is:

A protective covering comprising a pair of substantially uniformly resilient pads of generally rectangular configuration, each of said pads having an inner core of resilient material and a thin covering of thin flexible material encompassing said core, each of said pads having a length to extend over the shoulder of a wearer with the ends thereof positioned over the upper chest and shoulder blade respectively, each of said pads normally having a. flat configuration and being readily deformable to conform to the body contour of the wearer, each of said pads having a smooth undersurface and a substantially uniform resiliency and thickness throughout the entire extent thereof, the width of each pad being sufficient to completely cover the upper shoulder portion of the wearer and to receive any portion of a gun contacting the shoulder during carrying and firing of same, a first strap interconnecting adjacent corner portions of said pads in fixed relationship thereto, second adjustable strap means interconnecting the other opposed corners thereof. and third strap means interconnecting the outermost corner of the respective pads.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 378,394 Haskins Feb. 21, 1888 1,111,012 Dunigan Sept. 22, 1914 1,241,025 Sagerstrom Sept. 25, 1917 1,414,136 Kleiminger Apr. 25, 1922 2,304,699 Levy Dec. 8, 1942 2,402,292 Nichols June 18, 1946 2,615,172 Donegan Oct. 28, 1952 2,636,170 Goldsmith Apr. 28, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 30,045 Austria Sept. 25, 1907 289,360 Switzerland July 1, 1953 487,246 Italy Nov. 27, 1953 

